Process of manufacturing from nitrocellulose, skins and envelopes particularly adapted for use as artificial sausage casings



, to make them substantially Patented May 7, 1935 raooiiss or: MANUFAoTunING FiioM {n14 1 I .TROCELLULOSELSKINS 'AND' ENVELOPES 1 PARTICULARLY "ADAPTED *FORI USE' AS 1f a ARTIFICIAL SAUSAGE CASINGS Franz Goldberger, Breda, Netherlands, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Sylvanialndustrial Corporation, Fredericksburg, Va.,a corpora- 'tion of Virginia No Drawing. Application JanuaryZZ, 1934,

Serial No. 1931 707,864. In Germany September 8 Claims. .(Cl. 18:57)

The invention has reference to artificial sausage casings or artificial skins for the manufacture of sausageshead cheese, lard and other articles of the meat. packing and similar industries and it is intendedfto improve thequalityof such goods and equivalent to the natural articles.

V Artificial skins and sausage'casings of the kind referred to are being manufactured in large quantitles from substances which can be readily gelatinized orsolidified, such as for instancecellulose,

esters of cellulose and other cellulose compounds and the like, by causing these substances, for example 'a solution otviscose, to, beiorced from an annular nozzle into a precipitating bath,-or by causing asolution of nitrocellulose or its equivaformation of wrinkles provoking a bad appearlent to dry up into a thin layer of a homogeneous filmor foil with smooth surfaces.

According to the invention, it has been found that artificial sausage casirigsandsimilar envelopes become very nearly equivalent to the natural guts by being manufactured from a partiallyde nitrated nitrocellulose having a nitrogen'content not exceeding two percent. Such sausage casings show extremely favorable qualities as regards cutting and produce an advantageous appearance of the sausages enveloped therewith. When filled with sausage meat, they can be out easily and exactly and, owing to their good contracting quality, when drying, they closely and smoothly enfold the sausage mass whereby is avoided the disagreeable ance of the sausage. 7

Furthermore the artificial sausage casings of the present invention showthe firmness of nathigher than in the case of skins'and'envelopjes been treated with water or boiledywh'ile, at the same time, they do nothave the rigidity and the high inflammability ofthe skins made of.non-' and therefore, cannot constitute a perfect substitute for naturalguts becausethey become flabby during the boiling on'account of their excessive mass particularly in the caselof' dried cent.

According to the invention it is of advantage to carry out the partialfdenitration which may be effected after the solidifying of the envelopes formed from cellulose-nitrate, only. so far that the contents of nitrogen of "the finished skin or envelope will remain 'below about 1.5 percent and on, the other hand does not go down much below 0.5.

percent. .Of course other percentages of nitrogen j not exceeding 2 percent may be'employed for carrying out the invention. The'partialdenitration may be produced by means of wellknowndenitrating substances for instance sulio-hydrates'or';

reducing agents.

It is a surprising fact that, even with 'a g I tial'. denitration leaving in the cellulose nitrate a nitrogen content as high as 2%, thecasing still. retains the strength required. for. filling the same i withsausage meat. ,This advantage isimportant' in the case of using a filling machine for inserting the sausage meat or mass in the envelopesbecausethe favorable suppleness and elasticity of the envelopes and their great firmness prevent cellulose possess a sufiicient permeability for water vapor so as to allowa quick drying of the sausage or hard sausages. I V J r What I claim is:

. 1. The process of manufacturing-artificial skins cal filling operation; Another surprising fact is that the partially'denitrated envelopes of nitroand envelopes particularly adapted'for use as ar-" 7 tificial sausage casings, which consistsin shaping the envelope from cellulose-nitrates and there-f upon partially denitrating with sulphohydrates the shaped envelope so that its nitrogen content remains between about 1.5 and;0.5 percent.

2.- Envelopes particularly adapted forenca'sing' sausages and other alimentary products and consisting of partially denitrated nitrocellulose with a nitrogen content between about 1.5 and 0.5 per 3. A process of manufacturing artificial skins,

consisting of pure cellulose, even afterthey have?v casmgs and envelopes particularly adapted for use as sausage casings,- which comprises shaping a casingfrom a nitrocellulose and partially denitrating the nitrocellulose so that its nitrogen con- T tent lies between 0.5% and12%'.

4. In a process for manufacturing skins, casings and'envelopes particularly adapted for use as sausage casings, the improvement which 5. Aprocessiormanufacturing '7 casings and envelopes particularly adapted for use as sausage casings, which comprises extruding a solution of nitrocellulose through an annu '7. Envelopes particularly adapted for encasing sausages and. other alimentary products and consisting substantially of a tubular body of partially denitrated nitrocellulose having a nitrogen content between 0.5% and 2%.

8. Envelopes particularly adapted for encasing i sausages and other alimentary products and consisting .of a nitrocellulose which swells in water to the extent of not more than about 50% and has a nitrogen content between 0.5% and 2%.

FRANZ GOLDBERGER. 

